Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/192473 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2006
Series/Report no.: 
Discussion Papers No. 491
Publisher: 
Statistics Norway, Research Department, Oslo
Abstract: 
The purpose of this paper is to justify the use of the Gini coefficient and two close relatives for summarizing the basic information of inequality in distributions of income. To this end we employ a specific transformation of the Lorenz curve, the scaled conditional mean curve, rather than the Lorenz curve as the basic formal representation of inequality in distributions of income. The scaled conditional mean curve is shown to possess several attractive properties as an alternative interpretation of the information content of the Lorenz curve and furthermore proves to yield essential information on polarization in the population. The paper also provides asymptotic distribution results for the empirical scaled conditional mean curve and the related family of empirical measures of inequality.
Subjects: 
The scaled conditional mean curve
measures of inequality
the Gini coefficient
the Bonferroni coefficient
measures of social welfare
principles of transfer sensitivity
estimation
asymptotic distributions.
JEL: 
D3
D63
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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